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Sunday, May 21, 2017

Interstate 80 Closed in Wyoming as Heavy Snow, Strong Winds Impact the West

Sean Breslin
Published: May 18,2017
A late-spring snowstorm is causing havoc in the Rockies this week, shutting down roads, damaging trees and knocking out power.
Interstate
80 in southeast Wyoming was closed Thursday morning in both directions
between Cheyenne and Laramie due to dangerous travel conditions. The
wintry weather also forced a part of Interstate 70 to be closed near Vail Thursday morning after multiple spinouts occurred.
Images
of downed trees and tree limbs were shared on social media in parts of
Montana Wednesday afternoon, and more than 4,000 homes and businesses
lost power in the Missoula area Wednesday afternoon, according to the
Associated Press. Additional outages were reported in the Helena,
Cascade, Ulm and Great Falls areas, the report also said.
According
to the National Weather Service, the 2.7 inches that fell in Missoula
Wednesday was a daily record, breaking the previous May 17 record of 0.2
inches which stood for 121 years.
Up to 31 inches of snow has been reported in south-central Montana near the town of Nye.(MORE: Where the Snow Could Be Heaviest)
No
injuries were reported when a semi truck jackknifed along Interstate 90
at Homestake Pass, but the eastbound lanes of the freeway had to be closed Wednesday afternoon, according to KRTV.com.
To the south, Wyoming roads became snow-covered and hazardous, especially in the passes.
By
Wednesday morning, more than a half-foot of snow had been reported to
the National Weather Service in several locations in Idaho and in an
area southwest of Newcomb, Montana.
In some neighborhoods in the
Salt Lake City area, preset sprinkler systems watered lawns that were
covered in snow, the AP also said.

MORE: Winter Storm Ursa

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